1. Technical Field
The invention relates to metathesis catalytic reaction processes that reduce the production of unwanted byproducts and significantly improve yield, and thereby purity, of the desired reaction products. In particular, the invention relates to catalysts, inhibitors and reaction conditions for olefin metathesis reactions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the past decade, olefin metathesis has emerged as a powerful carbon to carbon bond-forming reaction that is widely used in organic synthesis and polymer science (Trnka et al., Acc. Chem. Res. 34:18-29 (2001); Fürstner et al., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 39:3012-3043 (2000); Ivin et al., J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. 133:1-16 (1998); Randall et al., J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. 133:29-40 (1998); and Grubbs et al., Tetrahedron 54:4413-50 (1998)). In particular, the ruthenium carbene olefin metathesis catalysts, and derivatives thereof, have firmly established olefin metathesis as a versatile and reliable synthetic technique for advanced organic synthesis. The exceptionally wide scope of substrates and functional group tolerance makes olefin metathesis a valuable technique that quickly and efficiently produces otherwise hard to make molecules, compared to traditional synthetic organic techniques. Research efforts have enabled the elucidation of olefin metathesis reactions catalyzed by various transition metal complexes. In particular, certain ruthenium and osmium carbene compounds, known as “Grubbs catalysts”, have been identified as effective catalysts for olefin metathesis reactions such as, for example, cross-metathesis (CM), ring-closing metathesis (RCM), ring-opening metathesis (ROM), ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), or acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization. The metathesis reaction products have a variety of uses, for example synthesized insect pheromone products may be used as selectively targeted pest control agents in agriculture. Accordingly, there is considerable interest in improved reaction product yields and purity.